Busy Lizzie

Hi hanks, I am so glad you posted your thoughts on James today. I did this study ages ago and forgot what I prayed for, this is what I said, " The one that is most diffucult to me is giving up that independent spirit which wants to be seen as efficient and proffessional, which knows it all and is strong to help others and get the glory. Oh Lord, where did all that come from - please forgive me! " I am now on a teacher training course and I have wondered why I am feeling so stressed out. I have found it so hard to take the criticism that the tutors hand out after they have observed my lessons. Whenever I improve, there is always something else to think about! I am no longer the efficient professional who knows it all, I am just a beginner who has no idea what they are doing, just like everybody else on the course! I asked God to help me deal with this and boy, is He sorting me out- ouch!! I wouldnt have it any other way, and know His discipline is out of love. Your posting that message has reminded me that God does listen to prayer and He is always with me, even after observations at school! God bless you, Busy Lizzie

Hi Caroline, I have since finished the study on James. BE PREPARED, it will change you forever! The study has changed me. Studying James was amazing at times and sometimes very challenging. There were times when I felt that God was using my study like a spiritual scrubbing brush to scrub away all the hard and sharp parts of my life that needed to soften. It has made me a more willing servant and has put a new perspective on how I see life with all its ups and downs. I wish you well, God bless you Lizzie xx

That their God is the creator of the universe. He is in charge of all of it.

It is important because Jesus emphasised to us how the shepherd will go out and look for a lost sheep, leaving the whole flock to go and look for them. (Matthew 18). James says we need to pray because if they are lost they could die and be accountable for their sins. It is so very important to pray, it's life and death for those who have wondered away.

The elders role in prayer for the sick, is to lay on hands, anoint with oil and have faith. Their spiritual qualifications are to be mature in faith, be respected by their children, not short tempered or pushy, nor drinkers. They must be self-controlled, full of integrity and know the Word of God.

The sick person should initiate things by calling the elders to pray. It is important because it is a step of faith. But the person who is sick does not have to only rely on her/his faith, as the elders will pray with faith as well.

Sometimes when people grumble at me about things I will try to offer a solution, suggesting what they can do to change their situation; this often has the effect of them looking at the ceiling and assuming that I dont care. When we grumble about our circumstances and refuse to do anything about it ourselves then we are not taking the opportunities God is giving us. We miss out on what He has for us. Sometimes when we grumble we are trying to get people to feel sorry for us, perhaps we need to get into God's presence and get Him to fill those gaps in our hearts that are, perhaps, needing a bit more TLC. Rather than grumbling, we should be honest about any bad feelings we have and open ourselves up to how much He loves us, instead of draining and manipulating people to fill our need. Sometimes it just takes a great effort and "positive stubborness" to be thankful for all that God has done, whatever the circumstances. To rejoice in the Lord always. Even if we are in difficult times, we have been saved from hell for eternity, and that is just the beginning. When we grumble and complain our faith is wrecked, because what we are really saying is that God doesn't care and isn't doing His job properly. Our patience can run out in tough situations, but if we let this happen we can often make ourselves feel worse. If we forget that God is in charge of our lives, we may not wait for Him to see things through for us. When we grumble about stuff, God must feel like a father who has spent all his money on a precious gift for his child and the child just trashes it in front of him. God gave us His most precious gift and nothing should stop us thanking Him for Jesus!

If we dont have the knowledge that Jesus could return any time in the back of our minds, life could become oppressive. It helps us keep things in perspective, and take hold of the bigger picture spiritually and here on earth. Also we could be "caught Napping". It is easy to get sloppy in our Christian walk. Paatience is vital because if we are not patient we become uneasy and edgy in our minds. Going back to the beginning of this study passage, we need to keep focussed on God and know that we are never truly in control of our lives. We are completely dependent on His goodness and mercy towards us in Jesus Christ. By getting impatient that Jesus has not returned, we can miss all the good things He has for us.

The trouble is that what we take for granted in the west in our every day lives is luxury for 75% of the population of the earth. Clean running water for example. We felt hard done by here in Gloucester when the water supply failed for a fortnight and we had to collect it from the end of the road. Our constant demand for low priced goods, all year round has created a world that is divided between the haves and the have nots. Unfair international trade laws keep countries poor to keep us in comfort. (For example an african country can grow cocoa beans, but cannot export chocolate to Europe. The beans have to be bought at a low price and then sold back as chocolate as vastly increased prices.) In the UK today we pride ourselves on our values; that there is no child exploitation, or slave labour, or extreme poverty used to service our needs. However all we have succeeded in doing is exporting poverty and we are even more guilty of it than we were 100 years ago; we just dont have to look at it on our doorsteps. This relates to the need for patience by the way we behave in our every day lives. Perhaps taking 10 mins to walk to the shop would save some pollution. Or taking time to investigate exactly what the conditions of the workers are like for the producers of some of our main branded goods and the condition that animals are kept in by the mass meat markets. Then DOING something about it. "Evil flourishes when good men do nothing."

When we bad mouth a neighbour we become a judge of the law in that we decide what laws are ok for us to submit to and what laws that person should be obeying. That's God's job not ours. Speaking a word in love to someone whom we think might need some giudance is a whole other thing to backbiting and slander. It is tempting to bad mouth others often because we can pick the thing we think is wrong with that person and show off about how right and therefore better we are.

We need to do all these things because we need to be able to allow God to have His way in our lives. He knows what is best for us and how we can best be used to serve others. They go against our nature because we have to let go and give up control and not take the credit for what He achieves in us. That puts an end to serving our own sinful desires. The one that is most diffucult to me is giving up that independent spirit which wants to be seen as efficient and proffessional, which knows it all and is strong to help others and get the glory. Oh Lord, where did all that come from - please forgive me!

As Jesus is quoted : Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. We cannot be focussed on our own financial and social games to please God. He sees into our hearts and whatever we do He knows our motives. When God sees the church and Israel, He sees His bride, if we are not dedicated wholley to His will for our lives then we will be tempted by the world. The adultery consists of covetting and anger which causes strife and disruption in the church. God is the aggrieved husband, He wants His bride pure and blameless and untainted by the world. James says that friendship with the world is the same as hatred towards God. He later links this with resisting the devil. He doesn't mince his words does he?

God is certainly not against pleasure as it says: Psalm 16:11 (New International Version) 11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. What is wrong in living to increase one's pleasure is that it makes us selfish and uncaring. We need to be in close relationship with Jesus and ensure we seek Him first. He has plenty of joy and pleasure for us as we do this and it is much more satisfying that the things of the world.

When our hearts are changed we can use our tongues to sow peace. This way we encourage and bless others. This produces a ripening crop of righteousness in those close to us as well as in ourselves. If every Christian was a peacemaker sowing peace what a mighty influence the church would be for good on Earth!

Humility is submission to Christ. We have to die to Him before we can be born again. Bitter envy and selfish ambition is the "ME FIRST" attitude which seems to be so prevalent in our society. Denying that we have selfish hearts stops the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, as He will only work where He is invited. Many doctors say that 70% of illness is psychosymatic, if we are selfish and envious in our hearts, perhaps that is one reason for being ill in the first place. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, free to move in our bodies, minds and spirits, there will be blockages to healing.

The tongue is untameable because what comes out of the mouth, comes from the heart. If the heart is evil the mouth will be the same. The tongue can only be tamed by the Holy Spirit, and our submission to Him in our hearts.

Teachers of the Word will be judged more strictly than their congregations because they are teaching others how to behave and are making a closer study of the Word than other people. I find it difficult to lay down the law about my pastor. He is human and under many more pressures than I am regarding God's Word; yet I think he should be sticking to Biblical standards for his life as he knows more about God's Word than I do. But then I should be living to those standards as well. I have to say that as a congregation, we should support our pastors and pray for them as they are at the spiritual front line.

We are saved by grace and can never earn it through works, (thank you Jesus!). However we are expected to do good works as a result of the grace we have been given; Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Not only are we saved, we are given a purpose, a reason to live. Isn't that amazing, Father God has thought of everything!!

The belief of a Christian is one of submission to Jesus. The belief of a demon is that of knowing Jesus exists, but opposing Him. A non-practicing Christian, I guess is someone who is a "cultural Christian", who was brought up to have a strong moral sense of things. They dont believe in the work of the Holy Spirit and only turn to God in prayer when something goes wrong. Not a born again Christian in the Biblical sense of the word. They would not know much about the character of God and so not be able to develop much faith in Him and would not understand much about His great love.

We are responsible to our brothers and sisters in Christ - they are family. It is a challenge to us to seek God and be prepared to obey Him in what He wants us to do. If we come from a local church which is middle class and well off then we need to be looking further afield to our community and out to our brothers and sisters abroad. Did you know that in the 20th Century there were more Christian martyrs than the whole of the 1899 years before? (see www.csw.org.uk) What are we doing to stop this? Those suffering persecution can often feel forgotten and unimportant to the wider Christian world. We can help by sending letters of support, writing to our government and to their politicians can have a big impact. Outside the church it is important to find out what help people not only need but want. In the UK where there is a strong governmental Social Services, sometimes it is useful to speak to them locally and find out if the church can offer provision which is outside their remit, but is a service which is needed. E.g. mother and toddler groups, parenting classes, clubs for the elderly, youth work, prison and hospital visiting, Alpha courses. Individually we should be aware of the needs of those individuals around us and be a listening ear, helping out when we feel it appropriate. We are Christ's body on earth.

Faith is dead if unaccompanied by action because it just becomes a cult about self. Without acting to help the needy, faith can feel alive to believers if they are "having faith for a new car, money, more confidence, or even healing". It can become a self-help exercise. While I am not saying that we shouldn't have faith for Jesus to heal us etc.; unless we look beyond our selves and ask what God wants us to do then we are just spiritual naval gazers.